A New Name – Revelation 2:12-17

BY REV. DORAL PULLEY

Our names speak of our identity, our power and our destiny. Like the Church at Pergamos, if we don’t like what we have been called or who we have been, then we have the opportunity to receive a new name on a white stone. The white stone represents a pure conscious wiped clean of the past and a new reflects a new idea that we desire to manifest.

Often, we try to start anew holding on to the good of our past. Many of us base our current identity on the accomplishments of our past (degrees, milestones, etc.). Enjoy each blessing that you receive then release it. God is able to do even greater works through you.

Not only must we let go of the good of our past, we must also let go of what has been labeled as bad. Every experience is our teacher. We learn and grow from things that do not appear to be good. It may not have felt good to us but it was good for us. Remember, all things including the bad are working together for our highest good (Romans 8:28).

Finally, we must free ourselves from the ugly things that have been said and done to us. Sometimes we hold on to the ugly so that people can feel sorry for us. We keep telling the same story over and over again so that we can justify our actions or excuse our behaviors.

A new name requires letting go of the old name completely including the good, the bad and the ugly. It is stated in the Buddhist tradition, “in order for us become who we are destined to be, we must let go of what we are.”

Rev. Doral Pulley is the senior pastor of Unity of Midtown, 511 Prescott St. S, St. Petersburg.